purposely

adverb

pur·​pose·​ly ˈpər-pəs-lē How to pronounce purposely (audio)
: with a deliberate or express purpose

Examples of purposely in a Sentence

the real estate agent purposely withheld information that would have discouraged us from buying the property
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The play is now set in a purposely indistinct time period. Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 2 Mar. 2025 For those who may not be familiar with it, ‘sandbagging’ is when teams hide their cars’ actual performance and purposely put together slower lap times in testing. Luke Smith, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025 Some said that the politicians and developers purposely made the neighborhood worse by shortchanging it on rubbish collection and other services, for instance, justifying their demolition strategy. Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 20 Feb. 2025 During his trial, authorities accuse him of deliberately setting the fire with the intent to murder his children, testifying that the refrigerator was purposely moved to block a door and that gasoline was poured under one of the children's beds in the shape of a pentagram. Randall Colburn, EW.com, 20 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for purposely

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of purposely was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Purposely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/purposely. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

purposely

adverb
pur·​pose·​ly ˈpər-pəs-lē How to pronounce purposely (audio)
: with a clear or known purpose

Legal Definition

purposely

adverb
pur·​pose·​ly
: with a deliberate, conscious, or express purpose : intentionally

More from Merriam-Webster on purposely

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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